Why atheists compare God to santa

Is there a God? If so, what is She like?

Moderators: AMod, iMod

Reflex
Posts: 951
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2016 9:09 pm

Re: Why atheists compare God to santa

Post by Reflex »

Making the Santa comparison is offensive. It's telling the fish who is aware of it's water environment that your disbelief is, to you, like its disbelief in Santa. It's not. It's not about belief or disbelief at all; just like a dwelling is not at all the same thing as a home (except when viewed from the outside).

I think it is safe to assume you're "trolling."
User avatar
FlashDangerpants
Posts: 8819
Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2016 11:54 pm

Re: Why atheists compare God to santa

Post by FlashDangerpants »

Reflex wrote:Making the Santa comparison is offensive. It's telling the fish who is aware of it's water environment that your disbelief is, to you, like its disbelief in Santa. It's not. It's not about belief or disbelief at all; just like a dwelling is not at all the same thing as a home (except when viewed from the outside).

I think it is safe to assume you're "trolling."
That post is too confused for anyone to really get any meaning out of it.
Perhaps if you can mix slightly fewer metaphors it might make more sense.
User avatar
Arising_uk
Posts: 12259
Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2007 2:31 am

Re: Why atheists compare God to santa

Post by Arising_uk »

Reflex wrote:No, it's not. You see see the dwelling place, but not the home. A home is more than just a place. If you cannot see the difference, then you are like a fish that does not see the water in which it swims. ...
I don't think you're understanding what he is saying reflex, he's not comparing 'God' and Santa, he's pointing-out that if the theist wishes to understand how the atheist thinks about 'God' then it's roughly how the theist thinks about Santa, i.e. no belief at all in his existence. Nothing more. Unless of course you are saying you believe in Santa as well?

Maybe it's the title that got you hot and bothered, so maybe it should have been 'Why atheists compare their disbelief in 'God' to the theists disbelief in Santa' or even, 'How ....'
Last edited by Arising_uk on Fri Jun 17, 2016 8:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Hobbes' Choice
Posts: 8360
Joined: Fri Oct 25, 2013 11:45 am

Re: Why atheists compare God to santa

Post by Hobbes' Choice »

Reflex wrote:

Why the emotional attachment to a mere "disbelief"?
Empiricism provides knowledge; belief is for whimps
Reflex
Posts: 951
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2016 9:09 pm

Re: Why atheists compare God to santa

Post by Reflex »

The original post talks a lot about the beliefs (maps, dwellings vehicles) of believers, but the author clearly has no insight or perception regarding that to which they refer. So, rather than behave like a rational human being and just carry on with their own private experience/vision of the world, the author chooses to muddy the 'water' in which believers swim. It's 'trolling,' pure and simple.
User avatar
FlashDangerpants
Posts: 8819
Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2016 11:54 pm

Re: Why atheists compare God to santa

Post by FlashDangerpants »

Reflex wrote:The original post talks a lot about the beliefs (maps, dwellings vehicles) of believers, but the author clearly has no insight or perception regarding that to which they refer. So, rather than behave like a rational human being and just carry on with their own private experience/vision of the world, the author chooses to muddy the 'water' in which believers swim. It's 'trolling,' pure and simple.
Why the emotional attachment to a winding series of unhelpful metaphors involving water, maps, houses and muddy trolls?
Reflex
Posts: 951
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2016 9:09 pm

Re: Why atheists compare God to santa

Post by Reflex »

Arising_uk wrote:
Reflex wrote:No, it's not. You see see the dwelling place, but not the home. A home is more than just a place. If you cannot see the difference, then you are like a fish that does not see the water in which it swims. ...
I don't think you're understanding what he is saying reflex, he's not comparing 'God' and Santa, he's pointing-out that if the theist wishes to understand how the atheist thinks about 'God' then it's roughly how the theist thinks about Santa, i.e. no belief at all in his existence. Nothing more. Unless of course you are saying you believe in Santa as well?

Maybe it's the title that got you hot and bothered, so maybe it should have been 'Why atheists compare their disbelief in 'God' to the theists disbelief in Santa' or even, 'How ....'
I'm not 'hot and bothered' at all. I'm just asking why atheists think employing a category error is a legitimate debating tool.
Reflex
Posts: 951
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2016 9:09 pm

Re: Why atheists compare God to santa

Post by Reflex »

FlashDangerpants wrote:
Reflex wrote:The original post talks a lot about the beliefs (maps, dwellings vehicles) of believers, but the author clearly has no insight or perception regarding that to which they refer. So, rather than behave like a rational human being and just carry on with their own private experience/vision of the world, the author chooses to muddy the 'water' in which believers swim. It's 'trolling,' pure and simple.
Why the emotional attachment to a winding series of unhelpful metaphors involving water, maps, houses and muddy trolls?
Why do atheists think employing a category error is a legitimate debating tool?
User avatar
FlashDangerpants
Posts: 8819
Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2016 11:54 pm

Re: Why atheists compare God to santa

Post by FlashDangerpants »

Interesting move. Which category is being misused?
Reflex
Posts: 951
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2016 9:09 pm

Re: Why atheists compare God to santa

Post by Reflex »

Hobbes' Choice wrote:
Reflex wrote:

Why the emotional attachment to a mere "disbelief"?
Empiricism provides knowledge; belief is for whimps
By 'empiricism,' do you mean logical positivism? That died decades ago (even if some people didn't got the message). 'Hume's fork' doesn’t rise to its own standard.
Reflex
Posts: 951
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2016 9:09 pm

Re: Why atheists compare God to santa

Post by Reflex »

FlashDangerpants wrote:Interesting move. Which category is being misused?
Santa/God
User avatar
FlashDangerpants
Posts: 8819
Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2016 11:54 pm

Re: Why atheists compare God to santa

Post by FlashDangerpants »

Reflex wrote:
FlashDangerpants wrote:Interesting move. Which category is being misused?
Santa/God
I think you need to put more exposition in there than that.
Show us your argument.
Reflex
Posts: 951
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2016 9:09 pm

Re: Why atheists compare God to santa

Post by Reflex »

FlashDangerpants wrote:
Reflex wrote:
FlashDangerpants wrote:Interesting move. Which category is being misused?
Santa/God
I think you need to put more exposition in there than that.
Show us your argument.
No argument is necessary because they are 2 completely different categories of existence.

So, why do atheists think employing a category error is a legitimate debating tool?
User avatar
FlashDangerpants
Posts: 8819
Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2016 11:54 pm

Re: Why atheists compare God to santa

Post by FlashDangerpants »

Reflex wrote: No argument is necessary because they are 2 completely different categories of existence.

So, why do atheists think employing a category error is a legitimate debating tool?
Do you know how the category error argument works?
Please explain how it applies in this situation.

If you are making it up as you go along, now is the time to admit this.
Reflex
Posts: 951
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2016 9:09 pm

Re: Why atheists compare God to santa

Post by Reflex »

It's Theology 101. If you are not up to it, why don't you just admit it?

Why do atheists think employing a category error is a legitimate debating tool?
Post Reply